dunes of AWL

We start at junction 80 Noordwijkerhout, a village of over 16,000 inhabitants. From Zandvoort we enter the dunes beyond the coastline of the North Sea towards Noordwijkerhout. We cycle along the Amsterdamse Waterleidingduinen. The dune area is designed for the extraction of drinking water for the city of Amsterdam; Fifty million cubic meters of drinking water flow through this 3,400-hectare area every year. Water has been extracted since 1853, making it the oldest water extraction area in the Netherlands. The dune area is a protected natural monument and has been registered with the European Commission as a Habitats Directive area. This means that it enjoys protection according to European regulations. Tranquility, space and nature are the main characteristics of this area. The Amsterdam water supply dunes have the largest fallow deer population in the Netherlands per hectare. It is estimated that there are about 1000 fallow deer. The fallow deer has not been hunted for a number of years and the numbers have increased considerably. The large numbers of fallow deer are a major crowd puller. After our bike ride through the dune area, we cycle again along the beautiful fields to return to Noordwijkerhout, where we started the tour.